Just outside of Baker, Montana, a sixth-generation ranching family is growing something most people would never expect to find in the state: citrus. Todd and Molly Barkley run Barkley Ranch, located about 15 miles southwest of Baker, which has been in the family since 1922. In 2021, they constructed a geothermal greenhouse, called Barkley's Homegrown, and planted it for the first time in 2022, coinciding with the ranch's 100th anniversary.
"We're producers through and through for six generations," Todd Barkley said. Step inside the greenhouse, and the Montana plains feel far away. "It is just a nice little oasis," said Todd. "It's spring in here in February."
© Barkley Ranch
"Smells really good in here when the blossoms are in," added Molly Barkley.
© Barkley Ranch
Measuring roughly 16 feet wide, 120 feet long, and dug 12 feet into the ground, the greenhouse relies on an air-to-air geothermal system to maintain a stable temperature year-round. Even as winter temperatures outside plunge well below zero, the interior typically stays above freezing, warm enough to sustain a surprising range of crops. Alongside traditional garden vegetables like tomatoes, peppers, and Swiss chard, the greenhouse hosts more than 20 citrus and fruit trees, including lemons, limes, clementines, oranges, and even pomegranates — crops rarely, if ever, associated with Montana agriculture.
Read more at KTVQ
